Veins To Her Heart
by D3strud0
Summary: A sketchy guy woos Hannah, and Miley's totally stoked about it. Lilly doesn't trust him, and he wants Lola to get lost. He takes them on a rafting trip, where more sketchy things occur. Then something unexpected happens. Liley.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Miley and Lilly were arriving back at Miley's house dressed as Hannah and Lola. Miley wore a content smile, and with a happy sigh, she plopped down onto the couch. Lilly followed behind her looking much less content almost irritated.

"Hey girls," Robby Ray greeted as she descended the stairs, "I thought I hear you walking up. How was the double date?"

Miley grinned and sat up excitedly. "It was amazing!"

Robby Ray looked to Lilly for her opinion. She scowled and simply answered: "Awful,"

Rolling her eyes, Miley looked at Lilly. "Oh come on, Lil. Josh wasn't _that_ bad. It was kind of cute,"

"_Cute?_" Lilly stared at Miley, astonished. "He spilled half his milkshake on my skirt! And I have reason to suspect it happened because he was trying to cop a feel!"

Robby Ray raised his eyebrows and gave Miley a look.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. The guy's just clumsy." Miley waved her hand dismissingly at Lilly.

Lilly sighed, realizing there was no way that she was going to get through to Miley when she had boys on the brain. More specifically, when she had Zack Jefferson on the brain. A competitive teen surfer that had asked Hannah Montana if she would be interested in meeting him when he was being interviewed by ESPN, which had then resurfaced and replayed on Entertainment Tonight, and every other celebrity reporting show.

_Miley had been over at Lilly's when she saw it for the first time. She shrieked in excitement, and Lilly stumbled out of the bathroom and ran in to see what was the matter. "Miley what's wrong?!"_

Lucky for Miley, Lilly's mother had just installed one of those satellite dish programs that allowed you to rewind and replay, which is what she did to show Lilly. Lilly stared at the screen as the boy on the television, who she could obviously tell was full of himself, smiled at the camera, and winked.

_"Miley… I've never even heard of this guy… He's just using your name to get attention and be famous," _

Miley was too busy searching through her purse to find the Hannah phone.

Defeated and discouraged, Lilly walked over and sat down next to Miley on the couch. Robby Ray saw the disheartened expression on Lilly's face that Miley didn't seem to notice. He frowned, and decided he needed to have a talk with his daughter. "Miles…"

Before he could continue, the Hannah phone rang and Miley scrambled for it. "Oh!" She exclaimed, looking at the caller ID, "It's Zack! I'll be right back!" She skipped out onto the front porch. "Hello?" She answered cheerfully, and then shit the door behind her.

Lilly sighed heavily and sunk further into the couch. Robby Ray walked over and sat down beside her. "Aw, heck, Lil. I'm sorry Miles is all mixed up in the head right now. It'll pass, just like all the others,"

Lilly wasn't sure if she should say what she was thinking, but eventually, she gave in and responded. "Yeah… I know… That's not what's bothering me the most,"

"Well then what's up? I don't like seein' ya so down. I know Miley wouldn't either. If her vision wasn't so blurred by all those cheesy flowers that Zack boy keeps sending over, she'd be worried 'bout you too,"

"That's just it," Lilly sighed again, "I know this isn't the first time Miley's been gaga over some guy… It's just, every time she is, I'm put off to the side. It's like I'm hardly even there,"

Robby Ray frowned, and at a loss of words, reached over and patted Lilly on the back. "It's a phase… I know you mean more than to Miley than any guy ever will," Lilly stared at him, shocked by his words. Robby Ray didn't notice her reaction. "I mean, heck. You're her best friend, and always will be. No one can replace that. You two have been through so much together. More than any guy could try to do,"

Lilly lowered her head and exhaled heavily. "Y-yeah…" She knew his intention behind his words. He was trying to cheer her up. It would be foolish to let that get her hopes up. She'd just remain quiet, as usual.

Just then Miley opened the door and practically danced into the room. "Daddy! Lilly! Zack invited me to go white water kayaking in Colorado with him this weekend! I'm so excited!"

Lilly sunk even further into her indent on the couch. Robby Ray stood up. "Now wait just a minute, Miley. I think you're forgetting the most crucial part of going anywhere with anyone on a weekend when you're underage, and living under you're Daddy's roof,"

Miley stopped, mid-dance, and stared at her father, devastated by his words. "Wh-What? Daddy! You can't be serious! You _have_ to let me go!"

Her father crossed his arms sternly. "Give me one reason why I would let my teenage daughter go off with some boy for the weekend on her own,"

"I… I…" Miley stammered and looked around desperately. Her eyes rested on Lilly. "Lilly can come with me! Lilly, you'll go, right?"

Lilly blinked, unsure of what to say. Miley looked at her, pleading with her eyes. Lilly sighed, knowing she couldn't say no to that face, and nodded weakly.

Miley smiled and rushed over to Lilly to hug her tightly. "Oh! You're so great! I love you!"

Those words just seemed to devastate Lilly more, knowing the reason behind them. Robby Ray sighed. "Well, I guess if you can promise that Lilly is with you **at all times**, I can allow it,"

Miley ran from Lilly, and gave her father the same thanking hug. "Oh! Thank you, Daddy! I have to go pack all my Hannah stuff! We're leaving tomorrow! In his private jet! Come on Lilly, we'll pick out your Lola stuff too!" She grabbed Lilly's hand and led her upstairs anxiously. Lilly followed obediently, trying to hide her lack of excitement.

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"Wow! This is so great!" Miley exclaimed as she stepped onto Zack's private jet. Zack smiled, and patted his hand on the seat next to his, beckoning her to sit down. Miley gladly took him up on his offer.

Lilly entered the jet behind them, and glanced around the jet. She could have sworn she saw Zack glaring at her. She timidly took a seat behind them. "I'm so glad it was okay that Lola came along," Miley smiled at Zack, unaware of the tension between the two.

"Oh! No problem at all!" Zack faked a smile, and made sure to show off his perfect teeth. "I know things didn't go over so well with her and my buddy Josh, so…"

Lilly was listening to them from the seat behind them and had a bad feeling about the phony coyness in his voice.

"I invited another buddy, with the hope that they'd hit it off," He leaned in closer to whisper in Miley's ear. Lilly leaned forwards to hear him too. "And maybe even allow give us some quality time together,"

Miley blushed and giggled, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that suddenly appeared in the back of her head. Behind her, Lilly sat back in her seat and seethed in silence.

"Brad, hey!" Zack greeted, as a greasy-haired brunette stepped onto the jet. "Just in time for take off!"

This Brad character smiled slyly and walked over towards them. "I like makin' a late entrance,"

"Yeah, you like not washing your hair too," Lilly mumbled to herself.

"And this," Zack said with a smug look on his face, "Is the famous, Hannah Montana,"

"Good ta meetchya," Brad offered his fist for a knuckle bump. Miley awkwardly bumped his knuckle and nodded. She glanced back at Lilly, and raised her eyebrows, giving her a wink.

Lilly rolled her eyes and begged for some way out of this situation.

"And this young lady over here," Zack continued, standing up and motioning towards Lilly, "Is Lola,"

Brad smirked and nodded, and Lilly could have sworn that they winked at each other. Then, Brad sat down next to Lilly; A little too close in Lilly's opinion. "Well hello, Lola. I'm looking forward to getting to know you,"

Lilly detected something devious behind his smile, but she brushed it off. "Yeah," She said, dully, glancing at Miley, who was giggling at something Zack had said, "Great,"

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The flight was way too long for Lilly. She kept catching Brad staring at her with a smile on his face, and had to listen to Zack and Miley's flirt fest in front of her. Eventually, she plugged in her headphones and tried to drown all of it out.

When they finally arrived, Miley and Lilly grabbed their belongings and exited the jet ahead of the boys. Lilly glanced at them as she stepped out, and found something suspicious about their huddled whispering. Zack caught her looking at them and smiled smugly. Lilly frowned and turned away, trying to ignore him.

"Come on, Lilly!" Miley exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go check into our hotel room!"

Lilly sighed, and followed Miley out of the jet and towards the hotel, that was across the street from the airport.

The boys caught up to them in the lobby. "Hey, once we get checked in, I've reserved a dinner for four at the hotel's 4 star restaurant,"

"Alright, we'll unpack and be right down!" Miley smiled. Zack leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Lilly felt her blood boil, and she grabbed Miley's hand and dragged her towards the elevator.

"Lilly! Did you see that? He kissed my cheek!" Miley gushed as the elevator doors closed.

Lilly stared at Miley sternly. "Miley, something weird is going on…" Miley stared back at Lilly, bewildered. Before she could question Lilly, the elevator door open, and Lilly sighed. "Forget it," She muttered, and stepped out of the elevator.

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"Dinner was fabulous!" Miley smiled, taking Zack's arm.

Zack smiled back at her, "Glad you liked it," He turned back to Lilly and Brad, who walked very far apart, behind them. "Lola, I hope you liked it too,"

"Yeah, sure," Lilly muttered.

Miley frowned and leaned in to whisper into Zack's ear. "I'm worried that Lola's not having a good time…"

"Don't worry, my dear," Zack assured her, "I've got a plan to let them have some private time to relax and spend some time together. Which gives us some time, too,"

Miley wasn't sure she liked how he had said that, but she again, chose to ignore it.

Zack quickened his pace and got to the elevator with Miley a few yards ahead of Lilly and Brad. The door opened, and he stepped inside. Quickly, he reached for the button that closed the doors.

Lilly noticed the door was closing on them, and she started to run. "Hey!" She called out, "Wh-what do you think you're doing?!"

She was too late, the door closed, and the last thing she saw was Miley's confused face, looking anxiously up at Zack for an explanation.

"Dammit!" Lilly pounded her fist against the closed elevator and pushed the button for the next closest elevator to come down.

"Hey, calm down," Brad spoke up from behind her, "They won't get that far ahead of us. Zack probably just wanted to have a few moments alone. What's so wrong with that?"

Lilly spun around to face him, anger burning in her eyes, "I'll tell you what's so wrong with that!" She yelled, "I don't trust him, and she's not supposed to be anywhere without me!"

Brad scoffed, "Chill out, it's not like you two are an item. Give her some space,"

Brad's words cut her deep and she stared at him, not sure of what to say. Luckily, the elevator door opened, and she turned and rushed inside, anxiously pressing the button to take he to the 3rd floor, where their rooms were. Brad walked calmly in behind her.

As the door closed and the elevator began to move up, Brad turned, and pinned Lilly against the wall of the elevator.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lilly spat, and tried to struggle free.

Brad leaned his face close to hers, and Lilly turned her head to the side to escape his lips. "You really need to relax and stop being so uptight. I know how I can wind you down," He smiled deviously.

"Get off me," Lilly demanded as she felt his breath on her neck and his body draw nearer, forcing himself onto her. "You're sick! Get off!"

He moved his hand up to her jaw and turned her head to face his. He smashed his lips against her and forced his tongue into her mouth. Lilly tried her best to close her lips, but Brad was much stronger than she was. She struggled and squirmed, trying to get away.

The elevator bell dinged, and Lilly saw her chance. As the door opened and Brad hesitated for the slightest of moments, Lilly kneed him in the groin. He cried out and pulled away, and doubled over in pain. Lilly ran out the door towards her room as fast as she could.

As she reached her door, Lilly fumbled for her room card, and ran it through the card slot. The light blinked green, and she threw the door open. She was terrified Zack had tried to do the same to Miley.

Lilly found Miley sitting on her bed, smiling and burying her nose I a bouquet of flowers. "Lilly!" She said looking up, "Look! Zack walked me to the door, and he kissed me goodnight! On the lips! And there were flowers waiting for me on my—" Miley noticed the tears in Lilly's eyes, and her heavy breathing. "Lilly…wh-what--?"

"I can't believe this!" Lilly cried, slamming the door shut. "That fucking friend of Zack forces himself on me, and I'm trying to get out of there because I'm terrified he's done something to you! He's playing us, Miley!"

Miley stared at Lilly in shock and bewilderment. She didn't understand what Lilly was talking about, and she was also thrown off with the fact that Lilly had sworn. Lilly never cussed unless she was really worked up. "Lilly—what are you talking about? Zack wouldn't do anything bad to us. What do you mean Brad forced himself onto you? Are you oka--?"

Lilly cried out in frustration. "Miley, do you even care about what happens to me?! I was worried sick about you, and you're here day dreaming about some boy!" Miley saw the tears fall from Lilly's eyes as she turned to walk into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Miley sat there stunned, as the sound of Lilly's faint sobbing was audible from the bathroom. She curled up under her covers, and placed the bouquet away from the bed. The smell suddenly made her sick to her stomach, and for some reason, she felt guilt. Tears formed in her own eyes, as she wished she could do something to comfort Lilly, but she was too upset with herself to come out from under her covers.

Eventually, she fell asleep.

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The next morning, the two girls were to meet the boys in the lobby for breakfast before going out to Westwater River for some white water rafting.

When Miley awoke, Lilly was sitting in her bed. Her eyes were tired and she looked very dejected. Miley sat up and hesitated before speaking.

"Good morning…"

Lilly's voice was quiet when she answered, "Morning,"

Silence hung in the room. Eventually, Lilly spoke. "I don't need the bathroom, so you can use it to get ready," The disheartened tone of her voice made Miley want to cry.

"Okay…" She sat up out of bed, grabbed her Hannah clothes, and went to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

After she was done, the two of them took the elevator to the lobby in an uncomfortable silence. Neither of them knew what to say or how to apologize.

"Good morning, ladies!" Zack greeted them with a smile. Lilly glared at him, to which he simply smiled more. "How'd you sleep,"

"G-good," Miley lied.

"Fine," Lilly responded coldly. Her glared shifted over to Brad, who stared angrily back at her.

Zack nodded. "Glad to hear it. Now let's get some breakfast, and head out for some raftin'!"

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The four of them stood at the edge of the water after the half hour car ride. The boys lowered the raft into the water.

"Wow," Miley gulped, looking at the viciousness of the water, "The water looks a lot more… stronger… than I thought it would,"

Zack smiled and wrapped an arm around Miley's waist and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry. If you fall in, I'll go after you,"

Miley smiled, once again taken in by his charm. Lilly rolled her eyes, and made sure to send another glare in Brad's direction, letting him know not to try anything funny.

"Oh, wow," Miley said leaning over to look into the water, "You can't even see any bottom,"

"Careful, Hannah…" Lilly warned.

Miley didn't hear her, and leaned a little too far. Her foot slipped on a rock, and everyone's eyes widened in horror as they heard a splash and saw her start to get swept away by the strong current.

"Oh god! Zack! Lil—L-Lola! Help!" She choked out, swallowing water.

Lilly turned desperately to Zack who was frozen in fear. "Quick, you jackass! D-do something!" Lilly looked back to Miley. She was being swept farther away, and pulled under water. Lilly didn't have time to think. "Goddammit, you fucking dickheads!" She screamed at the two boys, and then dove in after Miley.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

When Lilly dove into the rushing water, the only thing she felt was coldness. For a split second, she panicked, feeling how strong the current was. It occurred to her just how easily she could be pulled underwater and drowned. Sure she could stay above water for a while, but she would quickly grow tired and cold.

All these thoughts left her as she saw Miley flailing in the water ahead of her. She started kicking her legs and pushing the water behind her with her arms faster. Soon she was gaining on Miley.

Miley hadn't noticed Lilly closing in on her, due to her frantic screaming and the water in her eyes. As Lilly was within reach, she flung her arms around Miley. Miley didn't know what had suddenly taken a hole around of her and she struggled, knocking Lilly awake.

Lilly was dragged under for several seconds after being swept into the side of a large protruding rock. Time was wasting, and every second took Miley further away from her. She pressed her feet against the rock and pushed off of it, propelling herself forwards. She could feel her Lola wig being swept off of her head and into the current, to be lost forever, and just hoped that she and Miley wouldn't end up the same way.

This time, as she drew nearer to Miley and wrapped her arms around her, she was determined to hold on. Miley stopped moving in alarm as she realized Lilly had jumped in after her, and was now was grasping her tightly.

Lilly maneuvered Miley on top of her to keep her above water and began desperately searching for some way for her to pull them to a sturdy part of the riverbank. Luckily, they were coming up on a tree that had fallen into the river. Liley swam towards it frantically while still trying to keep Miley above water. Much of the time, she herself was underwater and had to rely on a glimpse every few seconds.

She timed it just right, and pushed towards the trunk of the tree Miley several seconds before they were passed it. She prayed that Miley would have enough sense in her to grab hold of it, and luckily, she did.

As soon as Lilly was sure that Miley had a firm hold around the trunk, she had already been swept past the tree. Miley stared after her, terrified and helpless. Lilly gave one final burst of energy and swam against the current. She reached out a hand to grasp one of the roots that stuck out. Pulling herself onto the trunk, she gasped and sputtered, trying to catch her breath. She looked over at Miley, who was still staring at her in shock.

"D-don't just stand there," Lilly gasped, "Start climbing toward the bank!"

Miley jumped at Lilly's desperate tone, and started to climb up the trunk, until she was on the riverbank. Lilly sighed and climbed up after her. As she reached riverbank, she wanted to just collapse and fall asleep. Her muscles burned and her bones ached, and she felt like she would never catch her breath. She also felt sick from swallowing so much water.

She couldn't stand the sound of the rushing water anymore, and she could barely hear herself think, and her mind was trying to race, so it was very frustrating. Numbly, she grabbed Miley's hand and led them away from the edge of the bank.

She followed the side of a rock wall and stopped when she found a place where the wall that had a large cavity in it that went about 10 feet back. Then, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body suddenly left her and she fell to her knees, and sat back, awkwardly.

Miley, still struggling with her perception for reaction time, stared down at Lilly, and then knelt down and panicked. "Lilly!"

"Relax, Miles. I'm okay," Lilly panted, "I'm just… exhausted,"

Miley hesitated, and then sat down inside the cavity, next to Lilly. She pulled off her Hannah wig, which was soaking wet and ruined, and started to pull the bobby pins out of her brown hair. When she had gotten them all out, she let her hair down and shook it out.

She had still failed to grasp the situation, but after several minutes of listening to Lilly's labored breathing beside her, the situation began to sink in. Tears started to pour down her cheeks.

"L-Lilly," She sniffled, "Where are we?"

Lilly several more breaths before answering. "Colorado. That's all I can tell you right now,"

Miley hugged her knees to her chest. "We have to get back to Zack and Brad, and—"

"Un-fucking-believable, Miley," Lilly exhaled angrily.

Miley's eyes widened, shocked by Lilly's tone. "Wh-what?"

"He's been trying to get in your pants since you met him! You're just his ticket to fame and recognition by the media! I don't what you to get hurt by that dickhead, and the first thing you can think of is getting back to him?!" Lilly couldn't help but shaking as she released "That jackass didn't do _anything _when you fell in! He just stared after you like he was some retarded chimpanzee!"

"What was he supposed to do?!" Miley cried defensively, "H-He could have gotten hurt!"

Lilly stared at Miley in disbelief, and sat back. "You… you can't be serious…" She shook her head to herself, and tried to stand, but instead, before she could lift herself to the standing position, a searing pain shot up her leg and she cried out as she fell to her knees. She sat back and pulled up her legging to reveal a deep vertical gash that started at her ankle and ran up the side of her calf, and was succeeding in bleeding profusely.

Miley's eyes rested on the gash as well. "Oh god, Lilly…" She gasped, "You're bleeding,"

Lilly winced and tried to wipe some of the blood away. She was fed up with Miley never noticing anything about how she was, and responded coldly. "No shit,"

Miley suddenly pieced together what she said with the fact that Lilly_ had_ jumped in after her; _and_ gotten hurt in doing so. She lowered her head in shame. "L-Lil, I'm sorry," She said quietly as more tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Y-You saved my life…" She bit down on her bottom lip in a failed attempt to stop the tears. "What… what were you thinking jumping in after me? You could have died…."

Sighing, Lilly lay back, trying to forget the pulsating pain that ran up her leg. "I didn't have to think, Miley," Her voice was sad, figuring that Miley would never understand. "I just… had to go after you,"

She laughed dryly and smiled to herself, "Besides…" she continued, "I promised your dad that there wouldn't be one second when I wasn't with you,"

Tears now poured from Miley's eyes, and she threw herself into Lilly's arms. Lilly was taken by surprise, but as she felt Miley trembling in her arms with sobs, she sighed and pulled her closer.

"I-I'm so sorry, Lilly!" She sobbed, as the realization of how poorly she had been treating Lilly came upon her, "I've been so stupid!"

Lilly rested her head on Miley's. "Hey, stop crying," She smiled, "If I didn't plan on forgiving you, I wouldn't have jumped in after you,"

Miley tightened her grip around Lilly and buried her face deeper into her arms.

Lilly held her until she had exhausted herself from crying, and fallen asleep.

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When Miley awoke, she was alone. "Lilly…?" She sat up and looked around. When she didn't see Lilly anywhere she began to panic. "Lilly?!"

"Calm down, Miley," Miley heard Lilly's voice coming through some trees, and soon, Lilly appeared carrying an armful of wood.

Miley stared at Lilly as she entered the cavity and set the wood down on the ground. "What's that for?" Miley asked.

"A fire," Lilly said simply, "You start out with smaller pieces and then build your way up. If we stay wet we'll get sick. Plus the fact that it looks like it's going to rain soon,"

Miley blinked, "How are you gonna light it?"

Lilly sighed, and pulled a Bic lighter out of the waist of her skirt, showing it to Miley. "It should be dry enough to use now,"

"Um, Lilly…?" Miley said, furrowing her brow, "Why have you been walking around with a lighter in your skirt?"

Lilly sighed and started to arrange the smaller scraps of wood in triangular fashion. "For smoking…"

Miley stared at Lilly in disbelief. "S-smoking?!" She cried, "Since when have you smoked?"

"Since, whenever I get stressed out," Lilly frowned to herself, "Which has been more recently, lately,"

"L-Lilly, don't you know how bad that is for you?" She lowered her tone when Lilly gave her a incredulous look, "…I've never smelled any smoke around you before,"

"Well," Lilly sighed, "Maybe if you had been paying attention to something else other than Zack, you would have,"

Realizing Lilly was right; Miley hugged her knees to her chest, defeated. "S-sorry,"

They both sat in silence before Lilly sighed and spoke again. "No, Miley, it's fine. I don't mean to keep bringing it up, it just really got to me. It's okay. All we need to worry about it now is getting back," She winced in pain as she leaned forward to grab a larger piece of wood, forgetting about the gash on her leg. As weight was dispersed to her injured leg, the pain shot through it and she fell forwards.

"Lilly!" Miley shot up to help her.

Lilly smiled and pulled herself up weakly, "But first, I think we should rest for the night. It's too dark to try and get anywhere now anyways,"

Miley clutched Lilly's arm tightly and nodded. Lilly steadied herself and flicked the lighter on. Holding it to the pile of twigs she made, it took much longer than she expected for the flame to take. She lowered her face to the embers and blew gently on it. After a long time of nursing the fire, a respectable flame was going.

"Go on and get close," Lilly told Miley, seeing her shiver.

Miley nodded timidly and scooted closer. After a long silence, Miley looked over at Lilly and giggled.

"What?" Lilly asked.

"You have some soot on your face," Miley smiled and brought her hand to Lilly's cheek to wipe it away.

Lilly blushed, feeling Miley's soft hand on her face. "I-it's not like I tried to…" Lilly felt a tear escape from her eye and roll down her cheek, touching Miley's fingers. Miley stopped trying to rub the soot off and hesitated.

"Lilly…?"

Lilly sniffled, and stood up, wiping the wet streak the tear had left from her cheek. "I'll be right back, Miles, I want to get more wood before it starts raining," She started walking before Miley could think of something to say.

"Dammit, Lilly, pull it together," Lilly muttered to herself as she started collecting wood, "Hold it together until you get us out of here,"

Lilly knew she had to be strong and come off as calm and collected for Miley's sake. Miley was still in a stupor from shock, and if Lilly allowed herself to fall apart, she would panic.

As Lilly bent down to pick up another piece of detached wood, she heard a low rumble, and the first drop of rain hit her arm. She grumbled, and turned to head back towards Miley and their shelter. By the time she got there, it had begun pouring down rain.

Miley looked up at her as she entered and placed the wood in a pile next to the fire to dry out. She kept one, which she added to the small flame. She sat down next to Miley and curled up, trying not to shiver.

"Lil…" she heard Miley say, "You're soaking wet,"

Lilly attempted to stifled a shiver, but Miley saw it. "I'm fine,"

Miley frowned, not wanting to start another argument. She already felt bad about how she had been treating Lilly. She hugged her knees to her chest, and tried to stop shivering as well.

Lilly glanced over at her and saw how miserable she looked. "Miles… are you still cold?"

"N-no," Miley's chattering teeth gave her away.

Sighing, Lilly sat up. "You're clothes are still wet. Take them off,"

Miley stared at Lilly, "Wh-what?"

"I won't look," Lilly said, flustered and beginning to blush. She turned away. "I'll sit in the other direction. If you don't dry your clothes, you'll freeze to death,"

Miley frowned, "Okay, there's two- no, three, things wrong with your idea,"

Lilly lowered her head, embarrassed that Miley had been offended by her suggestion.

"One, you're clothes are more wet than mine are. Two, if you sit in the other direction, _you'll_ be the one that freezes to death. And three, how am I supposed to not freeze to death if my clothes are off?"

"I…" Lilly shifted uneasily, "I had an idea that took care of all of those, but it wouldn't work,"

Miley scooted closer to Lilly, trying to read her reaction. "Why not?"

Lilly sighed fretfully. "You know… the whole… body warmth thing," She blushed and lowered her head even more. "I-it wouldn't have been long; just until our clothes were dry… J-just forget it,"

Miley blushed and lowered her head as well. A long silence passed between them as the sound of the crackling fire and the rain pelting against the rock surrounded them. Miley glanced over at Lilly to see her shivering tremendously. She bit on her lower lip nervously and then made her decision.

"Lilly," She said boldly, "I… I'm okay with it… It will save our lives. A-and it doesn't really b-bother me. Really,"

Lilly looked up at Miley, not sure of what she had just heard. She hesitated, feeling a mixture of emotions, and finally responded. "Okay,"


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

Neither Miley nor Lilly had moved for several moments. Lilly finally sighed, frustrated. She knew Miley wouldn't remove her clothing first. First off, she was still shaken up, and secondly, she was never the person to do the initiating when it something that wasn't her idea.

Lilly stood up and turned around. "Okay, I'm going to take my clothes off now," If she had still been facing Miley, Miley would have seen the deep crimson that Lilly's face turned.

"O-oh!" Miley sat up and turned around as well, "I-I will too,"

Lilly swallowed and began lifting her shirt off. She could hear Miley behind her, doing the same. "P…Put you're clothes next to the fire, but not too close, okay? I won't turn around until you're ready,"

"O-okay,"

Lilly told herself she needed to calm down, and took a deep breath.

Across the fire, Miley was wondering what she was getting so flustered about. It was Lilly. It was just Lilly. Why was she so embarrassed and so anxious? She took a deep breath as well as she finished removing her shit, and was suddenly stricken by an uncontrollable curiosity. She peered over her shoulder at Lilly, and her eyes rested on Lilly's bare back. For some reason, she couldn't help but stare at Lilly's curves, and her smooth skin. A cut on Lilly's shoulder blade caught her eye.

"Lil, you've got another cut," She frowned, not remembering they were both naked.

Lilly turned to face Miley, surprised by her voice, and Miley quickly remembered as she saw Lilly's breasts.

"O-oh. R-right… sorry," Miley turned back around, blushing.

Lilly laughed quietly, and removed her skirt and leggings. "It's fine, Miles," She sat naked, feeling incredibly vulnerable, and waited for Miley to say she was finished.

Miley removed her bottoms and took one last deep breath. "Okay. I'm going to turn around and put my clothes by the fire," She announced. She saw Lilly nod.

She, as well, felt vulnerable and embarrassed, and anxiously set her clothes by the fire to dry. She shivered in the cold, and tried to get as close to the fire as she could. "Okay," She said, letting Lilly know she was done.

Lilly slowly turned around, using all the will power she had to keep her eyes on Miley's face. She nodded, and then started placing her own clothes around the flame. After she was done, she looked back up at Miley, who had been watching her. Miley looked away, blushing, and Lilly blushed as well, wondering if Miely had been watching her the entire time.

"Okay," Lilly stood after an awkward silence. Both girls were shivering, "It's really cold… so… let's figure this out,"

Miley nodded and felt her heartbeat quicken. She watched Lilly walk closer to her. The flame of the fire didn't provide a great deal of light, but she was able to see the details of Lilly's body. She swallowed hard, and held her breath, as Lilly sat down behind her. She felt Lilly's arms wrap around her from behind, and soon she could feel Lilly's body against her back; her neck, her breast, her stomach. Miley welcomed the sudden warmth Lilly brought, and leaned back into her.

It wasn't enough to cover every part of their bodies, but it was definitely warmer. "Um… okay, let's lay down and get our legs together," Lilly suggested timidly. Miley was too busy trying to figure out why her heart was beating so fast to realize that Lilly's was pounding in her chest. She nodded, and Lilly and she slowly shifted to lie on their sides.

Miley was considerably warmer with Lilly wrapped around her, and lying close to the fire, but she could still feel Lilly trembling.

"Hey… Lil? Are you still cold?"

Lilly hesitated. "No, I'm fine. Are you still cold?"

Miley suspected Lilly was lying, but she decided not to push the matter. "No, I'm a lot warmer," She felt Lilly pull her closer, and could tell that she was smiling.

"Good,"

Miley smiled too, though, she couldn't figure out why.

"You can go to sleep if you want," Lilly offered, "I'll watch the clothes and make sure they don't catch on fire. I can wake you up when they're dry,"

Miley didn't want to fall asleep and leave Lilly alone with nothing to do, but her exhaustion suddenly made itself known. She nodded and nuzzled closer to Lilly, closing her eyes.

Soon she fell asleep.

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"Miley," Lilly whispered, "Hey Miles, wake up,"

Miley's eyes fluttered open and she grumbled groggily. She was slightly disoriented, and had forgotten where she was. She did notice, however, the fact that she was very warm and comfortable.

Miley looked around the shelter and at the flame of the fire. Then, her eyes rested on Lilly. She suddenly noticed that she was in Lilly's arms, their stomach's and chests pressed against each other. Her face turned an amazing shade of red and she sat up quickly, although she was unable to forget the feeling of Lilly's body pressed against hers.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Lilly laughed and sat up too, "It's fine. You started shiver in your sleep and just rearranged yourself to get warmer," Lilly lowered her head and blushed as well, "I didn't want to wake you… and, it's not like I had a problem with it, so I just… tried to make you as comfortable as possible,"

Miley nodded, still flustered, "Th-thanks," she looked outside at the sky. It was still raining, but a dull light was coming through the clouds. "It looks like the sun's rising,"

"Yeah… hopefully the rain will clear up and we can try to find a way back…" Lilly reached over to grab Miley's clothes and hand them to her. "Here, you're clothes are dry. You can put them on,"

Miley took the clothes from Lilly, and watched Lilly grab her own and shyly start to put them on. She wondered why she was slightly saddened by the situation, and then embarrassed by her thought, she started to put her clothes on too.

Once both of the girls were dressed, Lilly sat up and added some wood to the fire. Miley continued to watch her as she carefully arranged the pieces of wood in the flame so that they would catch, and not smother the fire. When she was done, she sat back down and stared at the flame for a long while.

"Hey… Lil?" Miley spoke.

Lilly lifted her gaze from the flame and looked at Miley. "Yeah? What is it?"

Miley hesitated and furrowed her brow. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can,"

Miley hesitated again, seeming unsure of herself. "Why did you jump in after me?"

Lilly blinked, not sure how to answer, or even explain. She lowered her gaze back to the flame in thought, leaving Miley anxiously waiting for her response.

"Well…" She finally answered, "I… didn't want to lose you. I _couldn't_ lose you,"

There was a long silence, and then Miley spoke; her voice trembling with tears. "It's just… I… I keep asking myself… "Would I have done the same thing for Lilly?" And I can't come up with an answer. I playing it in my head, and all I can see me doing is screaming and falling apart… You... you were just so brave… you risked your life for me without a second thought… and… I think… I would have been too terrified to do anything,"

Lilly didn't like seeing Miley in so much pain. She edged over to her and put her arm around her, pulling her closer. Miley buried her face on Lilly's should and continued to cry. "If you had been the one to fall in, and I didn't jump in after you, you would have been gone… and… I think that I never would have been the same… I don't think I'd ever get over it… I don't know what I'd do without you… I can't even imagine you not being there… You're the only one who always been there…" She wrapped her arms around Lilly and squeezed her tightly, collapsing into sobs.

"Hey, now," Lilly smiled softly, bringing her had up to gently stroke Miley's hair, "Stop trying to kill me off in that head of yours. I'm alive, and so are you, and that's enough to make me the happiest girl stranded in the middle of Colorado,"

Miley laughed softly through her tears and leaned into Lilly more. Her tears lightened, and she sat up to look at Lilly. "Don't ever go anywhere, okay?" She sniffled.

"You got it," Lilly smiled, and Miley felt a wonderful sense of relief and comfort. She lowered herself back down into Lilly's arms; she had grown very fond of being in that place. She wondered if that was weird, but she didn't really care. It just felt so natural, and she could stay there for hours without becoming uncomfortable.

While Lilly was holding Miley in her arms, Lilly was thoroughly confused about how she was supposed to feel. Miley's words made her feel wonderful but sad all at once. She loved hearing Miley say that she was important, but at the same time, she was saddened by the thought that it may not be in the way she wanted Miley to need her. She sighed, and decided that the best thing to do was just stay in the moment, and treasure the feeling of Miley in her arms. She pulled her in closer, and Miley seemed comfortable with it.

Miley fell asleep again. She was surprised how exhausting emotions could be. Once again, she was awoken by the sound of Lilly's voice.

"Mmm.. What is it, Lil?" She asked groggily as she sat up.

Lilly stood up and then helped Miley to stand. "It's stopped raining. We should start trying to find our way back,"

Miley nodded, and gripped on to Lilly's hand, giving the message that she didn't want to let go. Lilly smiled at this notion.

"If we start heading back upstream, we should have more luck," She started walking, holding Miley's hand in hers.

Miley followed behind her, timidly. She felt safe. She felt protected. She felt safe and protected; with Lilly.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

Lilly stayed one step ahead of Miley, making sure each rock she stepped upon wasn't loose, and was save for Miley to walk on. Miley grasped onto Lilly's hand tightly and followed behind her.

When they got back to the riverbanks, they had started to walk upstream. The sound of the rushing water was too loud for them to talk over, so Lilly had motioned for Miley to follow her and be careful.

They had been walking for a good half hour until both of them thought they heard a faint voice in the distance. They froze and strained their ears, hearing it again. They realized it was a recognizable voice calling out their names.

"Lilly! It's Daddy!" Miley cried, running ahead of her.

"Miley! Hold on!" Miley was already too far ahead of Lilly to hear her over the water. "Dammit…" Lilly cursed under her breath and took off after her.

Miley ran alongside the riverbank and disappeared up over a hill. Lilly became unsettled after she lost sight of Miley. She quickened her stride and ran up over the hill.

She sighed in relief as she saw Miley ahead of her, and Robbie Ray with Jackson, accompanied by several member of a search party, across the water.

Lilly could her Robby Ray's joyous muffled cries, and the tears in Miley's eyes as she fell to her knees. She couldn't help but feel like she was being tossed aside again, but tried her best to brush that feeling away. Miley and she were practically saved; there was no reason _not_ to be happy. Still, something nagged at Lilly; would things go back to the way they had been?

She sighed and jogged up to Miley's side. Miley turned to her excitedly. "Lilly! We're saved!"

Lilly smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah, but how do we get to the other side?"

Miley stared at her, suddenly asking herself the same question. They both glanced over across the river, and it appeared that Robbie Ray and the search party were trying to figure out the same thing.

Miley shifted anxiously and chewed on her bottom lip. "Lil, what do we do?"

Wanting to calm Miley down, Lilly looked around and racked her brain for an answer. Her gaze followed the riverbank as it raised further uphill, and formed into steep climb to a ledge. Her eyes followed the ledge across to the other side of the river, and saw that in the distance, there was a place where the ledge on the other side and came close enough that if they jump, they might be able to made it across. She ran it through her head a few times, and then decided that it was too dangerous. She didn't want to do anything risky that could possibly get Miley hurt.

Miley followed Lilly's gaze towards the ledge, and gasped excitedly. "Oh! Lil! Great idea!"

Before Lilly could figure out what Miley meant, Miley had started climbing up the ledge.

"M-Miley, wait!" She called after her, "It's too dangerous!"

Again, Lilly's words failed to reach Miley, and she continued to climb. Lilly glanced back across the river; Robbie Ray was trying to call at Miley to get back down. She sighed, frustrated, and then climbed up after Miley.

After a long strenuous climb, Lilly pulled herself onto the ledge, and her eyes rested on Miley.

"Miley!" She shouted angrily. "Stop, it's too dangerous!"

Miley could hear her, now that they were higher up than the river. She had already started towards place where the two ledges neared, and stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at Lilly, almost seeming alarmed that Lilly was there.

"O-oh, Lilly…"

"Don't you "Oh, Lilly," me!" Lilly flushed with irritation. "You totally left me back there, and now you're acting like you've forgotten I'm even here!"

Miley looked down, embarrassed.

Lilly sighed again, feeling bad for yelling. "Look, I just don't want you getting hurt,"

Miley squirmed nervously where she stood. "But… but the sooner we get back, the soon I can…" She stopped, knowing she shouldn't finish her sentence.

Lilly stared at Miley in disbelief. Her anger flared up again. "The sooner you can see Zack? Great, that's just great, Miley," Miley stepped back, ashamed of her train of thought. Lilly sighed, "You know what, Miley? Fine, just go. Do whatever you want, go run into Zack's arms. I might as well just stay here," Lilly turned away, not wanting Miley to see her cry.

"Lilly…" Miley felt awful. She had tossed Lilly aside again, just for the thought of Zack. She took a step towards Lilly, trying to think of something she could say to apologize.

Unfortunately, Miley took a step right onto a loose rock, and lost her footing.

"Lilly!" She screamed, and the franticness in her voice was enough to make Lilly spin around.

Lilly turned just in time to see Miley start to fall backwards, right towards the end of the ledge. Again, Lilly was thrown into action by her instincts and her emotions for Miley.

It was too late for Lilly to save Miley from falling off the ledge, so she jumped after her, throwing her arms around her and bring her in close in attempt to protect her from whatever platform they landed on.

Everything happened too fast for Miley to understand what was going on. All she knew is that she was falling, and then, she was in Lilly's arms being held tightly. It brought back the feelings she had when they had been together in the cave.

Miley thought she could hear muffled cries from below the ledge, across the riverbank, and then all of a sudden, she felt a hard impact, and had the wind downed out of her.

It took her several moments to catch her breath, and realized they had fallen onto a lower ledge that stuck out near the bottom of the cliff. She still felt Lilly's arms around her, and she slowly became aware that Lilly had turned herself towards the ground, and taken the impact, full on.

She shot up out of Lilly's arms and turned to her.

"Lilly!" She cried, placing her hands on her shoulder and shaking her. Lilly's eyes did not open. A thin red line of blood colored the rim of her bottom lip, and Miley froze in shock.

Slowly she brought her trembling hands away from Lilly's shoulders, and looked around helplessly as tears built in her eyes. Across the river, her father and the search party and were staring at them in shock as well.

Miley's breathing became labored, and she propped Lilly up in her arms. "D-Daddy!" She cried as loud as she could, "Help me, what do I do?! This is all my fault!"

She looked pleadingly at her father from across the river. Robbie Ray cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted to his daughter. She couldn't hear him and shook her head desperately. He held his hand to his ear like a telephone, then pointed at the sky, and yelled as loud as he could.

"They're calling in a chopper!" She pieced together his muffled sentence.

Miley nodded feebly, and looked down at the unconscious Lilly in her arms. She closed her eyes, trying to stop her tears, and lowered her head into Lilly's chest, holding her tightly in her arms.

She continued to sob until the rumbling sound of a helicopter in the distance became louder and louder. Soon, it was visible. The pilot looked for a place to land, but there was no flat space that was big enough to lower the helicopter onto. It ended up coming down and hovering close to the riverbank where the girls where.

Miley held onto Lilly tightly and shut her eyes as the fierce wind from the pounded down against them. A man appeared in the entrance of the helicopter and jumped out to Miley and Lilly. He swiftly took Lilly from Miley's arms, leaving Miley momentarily bewildered and alone. She watched as the man took Lilly onboard the helicopter, and strapped her onto a stretcher after he had fitted her with an oxygen mask. Then, he turned back to the entrance, and jumped back out, holding his hands out to help her up.

Miley stared at him, blankly, and then stared the extended hands in front of her. The man waited several more seconds, and then reached forward to gently lift Miley from the ground. Another man appeared at the entrance of the helicopter, and he carefully handed Miley to him. Miley was sat down inside and then the first man jumped back inside and gave the pilot the signal that they were good to go.

Miley gazed out the window, still bewildered, and saw her father and her brother watching the helicopter lift back up into the sky. They became smaller and smaller, and when they were nothing more than small dots, she saw them start to move back towards the road where they had come from.

Miley turned her gaze back to Lilly, who was still strapped down and hooked up to oxygen. Her face looked like she was in discomfort, and Miley lowered her head and started to cry, feeling responsible, and knowing there was nothing she could do to comfort or protect Lilly like Lilly had done for her. Lilly had selflessly saved her life again… even after Miley had discarded her again.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped to her lap. She reached to take Lilly's hand in hers and prayed that she would be okay.

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Miley sat in the hospital waiting room in a daze. Her minor cuts and scratches had been cleaned and bandaged and the nurses had shown her where the cafeteria had been. They encouraged her to eat, seeing how she had been without food for the past 24 hours, but Miley was too worried to eat.

When the helicopter had landed on the roof of the hospital, a handful of doctors and nurses had rushed towards Lilly and taken her from the helicopter, strapped her down onto a wheeled stretcher, and rushed her away. A kindly looking nurse had told Miley to please follow her, and she was taken to the room where her cuts were addressed. Now she waited anxiously, for any word about Lilly.

"Miles!" Miley looked up and saw her father and Jackson running towards her. When they reached her, Robbie Ray threw his arms around her, lifting her from the sitting position, and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Oh thank god, you're safe," She felt his warm tears fall onto her neck. He pulled away and looked at her. "Miles, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Miley stared at him, and then her gaze drifted to Jackson, who seemed to be trying hard not to shed tears of his own. She looked back at her father, and her tears finally left her eyes.

Throwing her arms around her father, she started to cry. "Daddy! Lilly saved me again, and she got hurt! She wouldn't wake up!"

Robbie Ray smiled sadly and gently stroked her hair. "Shh, Miles, it's okay… Lilly'll pull through,"

Miley sniffed, and pulled away, trying to convince herself that her father was right. She nodded weakly.

Her father cleared his throat uneasily, "Look, darlin', Zack's on his way…" Miley stared at him, wide-eyed, completely surprised and blind-sided by this statement. Robbie Ray turned to Jackson, who handed him a bag he had been holding. "It's your decision if you want to see him, but we brought your Hannah wig…"

Miley stared at the bag, and then reluctantly took it from her father. "Okay…" She stood up and slowly staggered towards the bathroom. Robbie Ray and Jackson exchanged worried glances, and watched her as she walked away.

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"Hannah!" Zack pulled Miley towards him as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom after combing her hair out and putting her wig on. "Man, I was so worried! I was freaking out! I called your manager, and notified the search team, and then I didn't know what else to do… Brad and I just sat and waited at the hotel until we got word that you were okay!"

Miley glanced past Zack, and saw Brad hovering behind him, looking bored and somewhat annoyed. When Zack released her, he leaned forward to kiss her. Images of Lilly filled Miley's head, and she pushed Zack away on reflex.

Zack backed away and stared at her, surprised. After several seconds, he recomposed his "cool" attitude and smiled. "Sorry, you're still pretty shaken up, huh?"

Miley looked away and nodded.

"Listen, let me take you back to the hotel. You can get some rest in your room," Zack put his arm around Miley's shoulder and passively pushed her forward, trying to get her to go with him.

"B-but, I can't leave," Miley planted her feet, "I need to stay for Lil- Lola…"

Zack sighed and pulled her closer. "Lola will be fine. Brad said he'd stay and call us if there was any news. I've already talked with your manager, and he agrees that you should get some rest,"

Miley hesitated, giving Brad a skeptical glance. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and smirked at her.

"Come on, Hannah. You really need to relax. You've been through a lot,"

Miley hated the idea of leaving Lilly. She wanted to stay by her side until she knew she was okay. However, she was too shaken up and tired to argue or stand up to Zack's forceful insisting. She looked everywhere for Jackson and her father, but they were nowhere to be seen. Zack had to practically dragged her out of the hospital, and back to the hotel.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Zack helped Miley into her room. Miley glanced around the room, still dazed. She found that it was just the way she and Lilly had left it two days before. The bed sheets were still pushed back and messy on Miley's bed. Lilly's bed was still made, since she had stayed in the bathroom for most of the night. The memory brought her near tears.

"Here, Hannah, sit down," Zack led her further into the room and sat her down on Lilly's bed. "Do you need anything? Water? Food?"

Miley shook her head, and adjusted her position. "No, I'm fine…"

He sat down next to her on the bed, a little closer than Miley expected. She shifted nervously, suddenly becoming uncomfortable, and started racking her brain for a way to get Zack to leave. She was tired and just wanted to be left alone; or at least not with Zack, for some reason.

Zack put his arm around her slowly. "I know I've said this before, but I was really worried about you…" Miley didn't respond. The weight of his arm on her shoulder made her want to move away. "When you fell in the water… I freaked out. I tried to go in after you, but Brad held me back and told me it wasn't a good idea with my knee surgery last summer, and all. I had to beg and plead your friend to go in after you,"

_Bullshit_. Miley thought, _I may have been drowning, but I could see you stand there like an idiot, and Lilly jump in on her own! _A seething anger came over Miley, but she stifled it, hoping he would leave soon. _I bet you didn't even have knee surgery…_

"You see…" Zack continued, causing Miley to groan in her head, "When the thought of losing you hit me, I didn't know what to do…" He scooted closer to Miley. Miley sighed to herself. She had heard the same thing from Lilly, and it had actually meant something. Coming from him, though, it sounded empty.

When Miley edged away, he grabbed her by the hands and turned her to face him. "Hannah!" He forcefully gazed into her eyes, "I love you!"

Before Miley could express her disgust, Zack pushed her backwards onto the bed and harshly brought his lips to hers. Miley attempted to cry out at him, but his stiff lips muffled it. He lowered himself further onto her and slipped his hand down to lift her shirt.

Miley's eyes widened, and with a final desperate scream, she threw him off of her. As Zack bounced off of the edge of the bed and onto the floor he stared up at Miley, dumbfounded. "Hannah..? Wha…?"

"What's wrong with you!?" Miley screamed, "Lilly's in the hospital, and all you can think about is--!!"

Zack blinked, "Lilly…?"

Miley grunted, frustrated, "Lola! Lola's in the hospital! She's hurt! You're a lying piece of shit, and she's hurt!" Tears started to pour from her eyes.

"Hannah, just hold on…"

Miley clenched her fists and screamed the loudest she could. "Get out!"

Zack stared at her for several more seconds, and then stood up. "Bitch," He muttered as he walked towards the door.

As the door behind him, Miley flung herself onto the bed and started to cry.

Miley couldn't believe how pathetic Zack was. He couldn't say that and expect her to believe it! He stood there and watched as she nearly drowned, and then said "I didn't know what to do,"! Lilly had jumped in after her, and actually _meant_ that she couldn't take the thought of losing Miley…! If anyone were to love Miley… it would be…

Miley sat up. Her tears subsided instantly; an expression of shock on her face. She stood up out of the bed and ran towards the door, with one thought.

"Lilly!"

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When Lilly opened her eyes, her vision was blurred. She thought maybe there was something in her eye, so she blinked a few times. Confusion set in as her sight didn't improve right away, but she was slowly able to make out the outline of images. Glancing around, she came to the conclusion that she was in a bed, and that her body ached horribly.

Groaning, she glanced around. She noticed someone in the room, and squinted to see.

"M…Miley?" A faint smiled crossed her face, and she released a breath of relief, seeing that Miley was okay.

Her vision took several more seconds to focus, and when it did, she came to the very unpleasant discovery that it wasn't Miley in the room; it was Brad.

Brad stepped over her bed and leered down at her. "Well, good morning, starshine. So glad you decided to come back to the land of the living," His tone was practically dripping with sarcasm.

Lilly tried to hiss at him to get the hell out of her room, but when she tried to utilize her voice, nothing came out except a dry croaking noise.

"Hey now, don't go exhausting yourself," Brad took another step closer to the bed and lean his face down so that he was inches away from Lilly's face. "I _know_ how happy you are to see me," He scoffed, blowing air in Lilly's face, and then pulled away.

Lilly glared at him, but even that seemed to take most of her energy. She figured some kind of medication had been pumped into her to cause her to be so out of it.

Brad lowered face to Lilly's ear and grabbed her jaw firmly so she wouldn't move. "Don't think I've forgotten what a bitch you can be," His hand teasingly found its way to her throat. "I think you owe me and my fella's an apology. Let's hear it,"

Lilly swallowed nervously, but kept her glare plastered on her face. She wouldn't have apologized even if she could speak. His grip tightened around her throat.

"I'm not hearing it…" Brad laughed, but was cut short when Lilly spit in his face. He simmered with anger and reached to wipe Lilly's spit from his cheek. Turning back to Lilly, he smirked maliciously, "Very well… Have it your way… Zack said to just keep you out of the way, but a guy can only take so much," He leaned down and kissed Lilly viciously, knowing she would hate it. He bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood and cause Lilly to grunt in pain. "I figure I'll shut you up for good while,"

His hand went back to Lilly's throat while he ran his free hand through Lilly's hair. "Is pretty hair what you've been hidin' under that wig this whole time?" He clenched a fistful of Lilly's hair in his hand tightly and yanked it, "You should find some better wigs,"

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Miley had run all the way from the hotel room back to the hospital. She burst through the door back into the waiting room where she saw her father and Jackson look up at her in surprise.

"Dagnabbit, Miley, where've you been?!" Robbie Ray stood up as Miley ran towards him. His face wore an expression between worry and irritation. It occurred to Miley that Zack had made up talking to Hannah's "manager" too. She silently cursed him in her head, and then told herself there would be plenty of time to despise him later.

"Never mind that! Is Lilly out of the ICU?" She was too anxious to catch her breath.

Robbie Ray blinked at her, bewildered, "Well… yeah… we were waiting until we found you. We figured you'd want to see her first,"

"What room?!"

Her father furrowed his brow in confusion. "Third door on the right…"

Miley took off down the hall and didn't stop until she had counted three doors and stopped. She threw open the door.

"Lilly, I--!"

Her jaw dropped as she saw Brad standing over Lilly, squeezing her by the throat and shaking with rage. In the split second that passed, Miley's eyes took in the pain twisted onto Lilly's red face, and the amount of pressure that Brad's hand was applying. Miley didn't even believe that someone's throat could take that kind of force. It looked like Brad's fingers were sinking into soft clay.

Lilly's eyes were nearly rolled into the back of her head, gagging and choking as she tried to gasp for air. Brad finally turned to see Miley, and he immediately let go. Lilly's fell back limply and her eyes closed. The heart rate monitor that she was connected gradually slowed to normal, as opposed to the frantic rate it had been when Brad had had his hands on Lilly's neck.

"H-Hannah," Brad stammered as he backed away, "I… Zack…"

Miley was trembling in fear and anger. "Get the fuck out!" She screamed, "Don't you ever fucking touch her again or I'll call the police!"

Brad darted past Miley and out of the room, and Miley ran to Lilly's side, throwing her arms around her. "Lilly! Lilly wake up!" Lilly remained motionless and Miley lowered her head onto Lilly's chest and began to sob. "Lilly, I'm so sorry…! This is all my fault!"

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Lilly's eyes slowly opened, again. She groaned to herself when she discovered that her vision was once more, blurred. Her eyes went straight to the place where she had seen Brad standing before. To her discomfort, she saw a figure standing in the same place. It rushed to her side and grasped on to her arm desperately.

Lilly panicked and tried to jerk her arm away, but was too weak to break away. She whimpered and curled into a ball the best she could.

"Lilly! Lilly calm down, it's me!"

Lilly let her guard drop and she widened her eyes, recognizing the sweet voice that came to her ears. "M-Miley?" Her eyes gradually focused to the person who held her arm, and she saw Miley.

Miley nodded and pulled off her Hannah wig. Tears were starting to build in her eyes. Lilly was so overcome with happiness that she was unable to react right away. Her bewildered eyes stayed on Miley, making Miley nervous that Lilly didn't want her there.

Finally, Lilly sighed and sat back, placing her hand on Miley's. "Oh thank god you're alright," Her voice was tired. "When I woke up and you weren't there, I was terrified that you got hurt when we fell,"

Miley's tears escaped her eyes and slowly trickled down her cheeks. She felt overwhelming feelings of guilt, for leaving Lilly at the hospital, and relief that Lilly was okay. "Oh, Lilly," She whispered through her tears, "I'm so sorry," She grasped Lilly's hand and held it tightly.

Lilly laughed weakly and smiled. "Don't be sorry, Miley. As long as you're alright, I'm happy,"

Miley sniffed, and lowered her head onto Lilly's lap. "You saved me… again… but you got hurt real bad,"

"Miles," Lilly gently put her hands on Miles head "It's okay. Listen, I'll heal. I heal really fast; you know that. Remember when I tried to take my skateboard down the stairs at school?"

Miley laughed through her tears. "Yeah. You scared me half to death,"

"I fractured my wrist and skinned up my knees. They said it'd take 2 months to heal completely, but I was back on my skateboard in a month. This won't slow me down at all. Piece o' cake," She smiled, trying to comfort Miley.

Miley lifted her hear to look at Lilly. "Lilly, four of your ribs are broken! You had a concussion!"

Lilly gave Miley a look that told her that she thought it made no difference. Miley sighed, and lowered her head back onto Lilly's lap. A faint smiled was on her lips. Lilly continued to stroke Miley's hair, running her fingers through her brunette tresses.

"Thank you…" Miley said, trying not to cry again, "For saving me…"

Lilly smiled softly, "Anytime,"

A silence formed between the two, as Miley sat and enjoyed the feeling of Lilly's hands flowing through her hair. She stirred, and then sat up. Lilly lowered her arms back to her side. She looked into Lilly's eyes with a serious expression on her face.

"Lilly?" Lilly could tell Miley was nervous, "I know I've asked you before… but… How do you feel about me…? I mean… Why did you save me?"

Lilly blinked, thrown off by Miley's question. "H-how do I feel?" She lowered her head and bit her bottom lip anxiously.

Miley nodded, blushing slightly "About me…"

"Miley I… You know… You're my best friend…"

"How do you feel about me, Lilly?" Miley found herself being more and more bold.

Lilly fiddled with her hands nervously. "Miles… I…"

Miley tightened her grasp on Lilly's hands. "Do you _love_ me?"

"Miley… Of course I do…"

"Lilly, do you love me?"

Lilly hesitated. She felt like she had been caught, and was being accused of some horrible crime. Tears fell from her eyes into her lap. "Y-yes, Miley. I love you,"

Miley relaxed, and her expression softened. She saw that Lilly had started crying, and felt awful. "Lils…" She reached to lift Lilly's chin up. "I'm sorry it took me so long to notice…"

Miley leaned forwards and gently pressed her lips against Lilly's. Her heart was racing, and her face was flushed. Lilly's lips were soft and warm. Miley could taste Lilly, just from that brief touch, and it made her practically melt into Lilly's arms, but she was careful not to lean on her ribs.

"I realized… I love you too…" Miley said when their lips parted. She looked at Lilly intently to see her reaction.

Lilly's eyes were wide and confused, and her tears began to flow heavier down her cheeks. She collapsed into Miley's arms and began sobbing, which confused Miley. Miley then realized Lilly's tears were those of happiness, and she smiled. She pulled Lilly closer and sighed in relief.

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"Shit," Brad muttered as he stepped out of the hospital and onto the street. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Zack's number. "Hey, man. I got caught going a little overboard…"

"This is a problem…" Zack responded anxiously over the phone. "It could totally ruin my rep,"

Brad sighed heavily, trying to stifle his anger towards the two girls. "Sorry man… But I _did_ tell you that chick wasn't worth it,"

"Shut it," Zack snapped, "Look… we gotta fix this… we gotta find a way to keep them quiet about this whole ordeal… I'll try to get back to my plan on a big breakthrough with that other singer broad that's always on the news,"

"Well, Zack, now you're talking," Brad smirked a malicious smirk, "Keeping people quiet is my specialty,"


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Hannah Montana.**

Miley stood in front of the bathroom mirror in her hotel room, tediously combing her hair. They were still in Colorado. Miley didn't want to leave until Lilly as well enough to leave with them, so Robbie Ray had booked another few rooms for at the hotel.

"Miles, why you spending so much time getting ready?" Jackson asked from his seated position on one of the two twin beds in the room. "It's not like you don't go to see Lilly every single day,"

Miley reached to grab a bottle of perfume that sat on the counter beside her and lightly sprayed it on. "Today's different!" She stated anxiously, "Today's the day Lilly gets released! I want it to be perfect!"

Robbie Ray smiled at seeing his daughter so excited. "Now, Miles, you know Lilly would be just as happy to see you even if you were wearing one of your Aunt Pearl's nightgowns,"

Miley shuddered at her father's comparison. "Daddy, please. Breakfast was only an hour ago,"

She saw her father come into the reflection of the mirror and put his hand on her shoulder. He proudly beamed down at her. "I'm happy for ya, bud," He said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Both of you girls,"

"Thanks…" Miley said warily. She hadn't told her father about her feelings for Lilly, and likewise, Lilly's feelings for her. "But what are you so happy about?"

He nodded merrily. "Friendship. It comes before everything else," His response still made it difficult for Miley to have insight on his awareness, but she knew it wouldn't be the first time something so obvious had gone right over his head. "Lilly and you have been through a lot together and there ain't nothing that's gonna come between that,"

"Thanks…" Miley repeated, glancing into the bedroom to look at Jackson. Jackson looked away, and was blushing ever so slightly. Miley knew Jackson was well aware of the situation between Lilly and her. He may have been dense about many things, but he was certainly no fool.

"H-hey, Daddy-O," Jackson interrupted, attempting to get Miley out of an awkward situation, "We're leavin' from the hospital to the airport, right? Why don't we…" He struggled momentarily, trying to think of what to say next, "…Get ahead of our game and start packin' while Miley finishes up!"

Miley sighed, relieved as her father's arm left her shoulder. "Well, I'll be Uncle Earl in an All-You-Can-Eat buffet!" His smile grew as he turned to Jackson, "The boy actual said something that was a good idea!"

Jackson laughed nervously, "I got some smarts stored away somewhere in this head of mine,"

"Jackson's right, Miles," Robbie Ray said, turning back to face Miley. "We'll go pack up and meet you back here in half an hour,"

"Okay," Miley smiled, trying not to seem uncomfortable. "See ya then!"

Robbie Ray took his daughter in his arms and squeezed her tightly. Miley hugged him back weakly, still feeling nervous. He sighed happily, and then released her. "See ya then, bud," With that, he and Jackson left the room.

Miley exhaled heavily and picked her brush back up. She continued to comb her hair, trying to make it perfect, but every time she ran her brush over one spot, another strand of hair that needed brushing caught her eye.

Finally, she gave up and walked over to lie on her bed. She stared at the ceiling and waited in silence, but she so anxious to get out and see Lilly that every passing minute seemed to drag on forever.

Still, Miley couldn't shake an uneasy feeling that had been in the back of her head since she had told off Zack. All she wanted to do was go home, and be in her state, in her city, in her house; with Lilly. But still, even that proved to have it's own problems that would eventually have to be addressed; like telling her father and Oliver, and what that would encompass. It also scared Miley; she had never had feelings this strong towards anyone before and it surprised her that she had never realized them before. And then there was Zack…

Another heavy sigh left her lips and she closed her eyes. She almost wished that she hadn't packed earlier; that way she would have had something to do. She swept away her unsettling thoughts and let her mind rest on her feelings about Lilly.

Miley blushed brightly as she remembered the feelings of Lilly's warm lips on her own. They hadn't shared a kiss since then and she hoped that Lilly still wanted to kiss her. Miley knew how ridiculous that sounded. The girl jumped into a river for her; of course she wouldn't suddenly stop caring about Miley that way! She smiled and sighed happily to herself, letting her mind venture further into imagining kissing Lilly again, and maybe, going even farther. Miley was embarrassed as she found herself aroused by the mere thought of it.

The knock at the door startled Miley and she flew off of her bed. "C-coming!" Miley quickly walked towards the door and opened it.

"Ready, Miles?" her father grinned, holding his suitcase at his side, "Grab your stuff and let's head out!"

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Miley waited for the elevator to lift off and stop moving. She could have sworn it was the slowest elevator she had ever been on. Her foot tapped anxiously as she watched the numbers above the elevator door illuminate as it passed by each floor.

Robbie Ray noticed his daughter's manic tapping and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Almost there, Miles. You excited?"

Miley detested the way he asked the question. It was like she was a little girl that he was teasing. She knew he didn't mean it like that, but it still irked her. "Yes, Daddy…" She exhaled, trying to retain her composure. He noticed how tense she was and backed off.

When the elevator reached the fifth floor dinged and started to open, Miley rushed out before the doors were even fully open. She raced to Lilly's room; she knew the way by heart.

"Lilly!" She cried happily. To her surprise, she found Lilly sitting on her bed, half naked.

Lilly had been changing out of her hospital gown and into her clothes. She had gotten her jeans on, but was in the middle of putting on her shirt. Miley stood in the doorway, blushing, and unable to look away from Lilly's slender torso that curved into her hips. Although, there was still bruising on Lilly's fractured ribs, Miley found herself captivated by the image of her friend in front of her.

Lilly had stopped and was looking up at Miley, blushing embarrassedly. "Uh… Miley…? Could you shut the door? People would be able to see in if they walked by,"

"Oh!" Miley came back to her senses and closed the door. She turned away and bit her lip nervously. "S-sorry,"

"It's okay," Lilly laughed. She finished pulling her shirt over her head carefully, as to not hurt her ribs. After she had done that, she stood up and walked over to Miley, who was still looking away, asking herself what she was thinking.

Lilly warmly wrapped her arms around Miley and sighed happily. Miley was taken aback and blinked a few time, savoring the feeling of Lilly's arms holding her close.

"Let's go home," Lilly whispered in her ear.

Miley felt tears sting her eyes. She smiled and gently put her arms around Lilly's waist to return the hug. "Yeah…" All of her anxieties and worries were gone as soon as she felt Lilly's presence surround her.

As they parted, their hands found their way into the other's warm grasp and they left the room, smiling shyly.

"Hey girls!" Robbie Ray greeted them. Lilly noticed that Miley quickly removed her hand from hers. "I'm just finishing signing theses release forms and then we can head to the airport. Jackson's waiting outside for the cab,"

"Okay," Miley nodded meekly.

He turned to Lilly, who appeared flustered. "Lilly, the nurse told me they filled your Vicodin prescription and reminded me to tell you not to forget it,"

"I have it with the rest of my stuff," Lilly assured him.

"Good," Robbie Ray smiled. "Why don't you two go on out and wait with Jackson. I'll just be a few minutes,"

Both girls nodded and began to walk towards the elevator. Lilly waited to see how Miley acted, and was bothered when she noticed Miley still acting like she had been scolded. They got into the elevator and the doors shut.

After several more second of silence, Miley reached for Lilly's hand and took it in hers. "I'm sorry, Lilly," Her voice was very timid, "I don't know… how to tell Daddy… or how he'll react. I'm scared,"

Lilly sighed. The sorrow in Miley's voice made her cringe. She squeezed Miley's hand softly. "It's okay, Miles. We'll take it slow and figure it out,"

Miley nodded, and leaned forward to shyly kiss Lilly's cheek. Lilly smiled and stroked Miley's hand with her thumb. As the elevator door opened, Miley made it a point to firmly grasp Lilly's hand; Together, they walked out of the hospital and onto the street.

Jackson had just hailed a cab; he turned his head to see the girls walk out. Miley blushed brightly as his eyes fell on their hand, and she struggled to keep herself from pulling away. She was unsuccessful.

Jackson laughed as he saw the disappointed look on Lilly's face, and the flustered look on Miley's. "Miles, relax," He grinned, "I already figured it out,"

Miley blushed even more, and crept her hand back into Lilly's. Lilly still looked perplexed and confused, but she gladly took Miley's hand.

"A-are you… okay with it?" Miley asked nervously.

Jackson cocked an eyebrow at her. "What? With you two?" He laughed again, "Yeah, sure. I mean, I sort of wondered for a while, but by now it seems pretty natural. Like, you two could have been an item this whole time and it wouldn't have made a difference,"

Miley couldn't help smiling as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She burst towards Jackson and flung his arms around him. "Oh, thank you Jackson!" Jackson was surprised by the sudden display of affection from his sister. "I love you!"

Jackson awkwardly hugged her back. "D-don't mention it…" He pulled away, "But don't make a habit of saying that. It sounds kind of weird; I don't know if I could get used to it,"

Miley wiped the tears that had succeeded in spilling from her eyes and laughed. She playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You don't have to asked twice,"

"Good gravy! He was actually able to do it!" Robbie Ray exclaimed as he walked out of the hospital.

"D-do what?" Miley seemed suspiciously anxious.

Robbie Ray dismissed her behavior and smiled. "He got a cab. I'll tell you what, Miles, I think this boy of ours is finally starting to grow up! I figured he'd get lost on his way to the elevator!"

"Jee, thanks, Pop," Jackson's tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Lilly laughed and Miley exhaled heavily with relief.

Robbie Rayy patted Jackson firmly on the back. "I'm just yankin' your chain, son. Now who's ready to get back home?"

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The low humming that rang throughout the plane was lulling Miley to sleep. She and Lilly sat on the left side of the plane. Lilly knew how much Miley loved looking out the window, so she had insisted Miley took the window seat. Robbie Ray and Jackson sat in the two seats in front of them.

Miley had nearly dozed off when she shook herself out of her stupor. She stretched out while releasing a tired sigh. After she was somewhat more awake, she glanced over at Lilly.

Lilly looked uncomfortable and almost like she was in pain. Miley leaned over close to Lilly and gently took her hand.

"Lilly, are you okay?" She whispered softly.

Lilly exhaled sharply. "Yeah. My ribs are just bothering me…"

"Did you take some of your painkillers?"

"No," Lilly shook her head, "I left them in my suitcase. It's fine, I don't need them,"

Miley frowned and stroked Lilly's hand softly. She didn't know what she could say to comfort Lilly so she dejectedly rested her head on Lilly's shoulder.

Lilly sighed and relaxed after feeling Miley's warmth against her. Miley continued to stroke Lilly's hand, and then led her fingertips up to Lilly's forearm. She lovingly caressed up and down Lilly's arm.

Not too long afterwards, Miley felt Lilly's head rest against her own and heard the sound of Lilly's soft, deep breathing. She smiled softly and continued to caress Lilly's arm. Eventually, she fell asleep, snuggling as close to Lilly as she could.

The captain announced that their descent would be in fifteen minutes over the intercom. Soon they would be back in their partly cloudy Malibu.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hannah Montana. **

Robbie burst through the front door of the Stewart house, carrying their luggage behind them.

"Woo-ee!" Robbie Ray hollered, "Sure is good to be home, ain't it, Jackson?"

Jackson seemed to be struggling with his attempts to wheel his luggage, along with Miley's and Lilly's, into the house.

"Yeah. Right. Sure, pop," He grunted, "Ya mind givin' me a hand here?"

Robbie Ray shook his head and smiled, "Aw, now, son, you know if I did that, I'd probably pull somethin'. You on the other hand still have those young, healthy muscles of yours. I'm sure a few suitcases ain't gonna kill ya,"

Jackson groaned as he hoisted one of the suitcases up. Immediately, one of the other ones fell over. "You gotta be kidding me! You bench twice the weight that I do!"

"Think of it as a lesson, son," Robbie Ray walked over and patted Jackson firmly on the shoulder, causing the other suitcases to topple over. "Next time you want help with something, don't put your feet up on the car dashboard when I ask you not to,"

"Pleaaasee?" Jackson begged, crawling onto his knees and clasping his head together in a pleading motion, "I'll listen next time! Honest, I will!"

Robbie Ray shook his head, getting far too much enjoyment out of the situation. "Nope. Better luck next time. Now I'm gonna go on up and jump in the shower. Go on and take those bag upstairs," He jogged up the staircase before Jackson could retort. Jackson groaned, and lifted up the suitcases, slowing moving towards the stairs and making his way up.

Several moments after Jackson disappeared up the stairs, Miley and Lilly walked through the door. Lilly's ribs were in pain and causing her to have trouble walking. Miley helped her from the car and slowly walk up the porch steps. When they made it into the living room, Miley gently lowered the wincing Lilly down onto the couch.

"You feeling okay, hon?" Miley sat next to Lilly and brushed one of Lilly's golden locks out of her face ad behind her ear.

Lilly smiled weakly, unable to hide her pain and discomfort in her expression, and from the way she rigidly sat. "Not really," She laughed.

Miley frowned, and, after a quick glance towards the stairs to make sure no one was coming down, shy kissed the corner of Lilly's mouth. Lilly smiled, a little more genuinely.

"Wait here, and I'll go grab your painkillers from your suitcase, okay?" Miley said as she stood up.

Lilly nodded at Miley, and gave her hand a squeeze. Miley hesitated before leaving, stopping to give Lilly a quick kiss on the forehead.

Once Lilly was alone downstairs, she tried to take a deep breath. Before she cold fully exhale, a sharp pain shot through her ribs. She grunted, and exhaled slowly, discovering that deep breath's were nowhere near in her future. Closing her eyes, Lilly went back to her shallow steady breathing. She had nearly dozed off when she heard Miley descending down the stairs and walk back over to the couch.

"Here, Lil," Lilly opened her eyes and saw Miley smiling down at her, holding out the prescription bottle for Lilly to take. "I'll get you some water,"

"Thanks, Miles," Lilly smiled sweetly and took the bottle from Miley. Miley left and went to the kitchen, shortly returning with a glass of water. Lilly took the glass from her and struggled to open the bottle.

Miley smiled and offered her hand to help Lilly open it. "How many?" She asked, emptying a few pills into the palm of her hand.

Lilly frowned, puzzled, "Uhh, I'm not sure,"

Miley laughed and turned the bottle to read the label. "Two ever 6-12 hours, or as needed,"

"Great," Lilly groaned. Miley handed Lilly two pills, which Lilly distributed to her mouth and chased down with a gulp of water. When she finished swallowing with slight difficulty, Lilly stuck her tongue out and coughed. "I hate taking pills,"

Miley sat down next to Lilly and kissed her cheek, nuzzling her nose against Lilly's ear. "It'll get easier, don't worry,"

Lilly sighed, and relaxed, completely melting from the sensation of Miley's kiss.

Miley jumped back at the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

"Hey girls!" Robbie Ray appeared, wrapped in his light blue bathrobe with a towel draped over his wet hair. "You glad to be home?"

"Yeah," Lilly answered glumly, missing Miley's close presence.

Miley nodded nervously in agreement.

"Boy, I'll tell you what, there ain't nothing like the stream of your own shower head!" He walked into the living room and sat down next to Miley. "Now, Lilly, how do you want to go about tellin' your mother what happened?"

Lilly stirred uncomfortably in her seat, trying to position herself so she wouldn't hurt her ribs. Finding that it wasn't very probable, she sighed and gave up. "Well, I was thinking we could… wait on that. I told her I'd be back on Friday, and that's still a day off…"

"Okay, so, once tomorrow rolls around and you show up on the doorstep with broken ribs and painkillers, then what?"

"Uh…" Lilly obviously hadn't thought that far, "I was thinking maybe I could just… not tell her until after they're healed?"

Robbie Ray frowned at her, scolding her. "You know you can't do that,"

"Yeah I know," Lilly sighed, "I'll tell her I tripped and fell when I was getting out of the raft or something, and that we were out of cell phone range so I couldn't call her,"

"Well, that's close enough to the truth," Robbie Ray nodded approvingly, "I guess you can't tell her Lola jumped after Hannah when she fell off a ledge,"

Miley flinched guiltily at her father's reminder. Lilly frowned and reached over to give her hand a squeeze.

Robbie Ray stood up from the couch, "Well, Miles, you had a concert planned for tomorrow. You think you're still up for it or do you wanna cancel?"

Miley sighed, frustrated. "No. I hate to do that to all the fans after they've bought their tickets…" She was starting to regret talking her father into letting her go on the trip to Colorado more and more. She was amazed at how much she went out of her way just to go with Zack; such as returning on the day of her next concert.

"What about you, Lil?" Robbie Ray asked, directing his attention to Lilly. "You want to sit this one out?"

"No way! I'm not missing out on a chance to see Miley perform!" Lilly looked over at Miley and smiled, causing Miley to blush and smile back.

Robbie Ray looked wary, "Well, alright, it's your decision. If your ribs start hurting let me know right away, okay? The last thing we need is you hurtin' worse,"

Lilly nodded. "Yeah, I will,"

"I'm guessin' you'll wait 'til after the concert to go home and face your mother?"

"That would be correct," Lilly laughed awkwardly.

"And you're planning on staying here until then?"

"If that's okay…"

Robbie Ray sighed and smiled warmly. "You know you're always welcome,"

Lilly sighed, relieved. "Thanks, Mr. S."

"Well I'm goin' on up and getting' some sleep. I bet you to are pretty wiped out too, so don't stay up too late," Robbie Ray leaned over to kiss each of the girls on the forehead.

"'Night, Daddy," Miley smiled up at him tiredly, suppressing a yawn

"G'night, girls," Robby Ray called after them as he walked away and disappeared up the stairs.

A brief silence followed where neither of them moved.

"Uh… Miles?" Lilly finally spoke.

Miley turned her head to look at Lilly. "Yeah?"

"Your dad… just kissed me on the forehead,"

Miley laughed and scooted closer to Lilly, resting her head on Lilly's shoulder. "I know. He's been acting a little weird,"

Lilly reached for Miley's hand and grasped it tightly, intertwining their fingers with one another. After a long, comfortable silence, Miley heard Lilly yawn.

"You wanna go upstairs and go to bed?" Miley lifted her head and asked.

Lilly moaned and sighed heavily. "Yeah… I dunno… if it's the meds, or what, but I'm totally… totally crashin',"

Miley laughed at Lilly's drowsy state and stood up from the couch, offering her hand to help Lilly up. "Alright, well let's get you upstairs then,"

Lilly mumbled half coherently and fumbled forwards into Miley's arms. Miley smiled and began her struggle to help Lilly up the stairs and into bed, where she cuddled close to Lilly's side, being extra careful not to go near her wounded ribs.

Lilly had a smile on her lips as she drifted off to sleep.

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Miley woke up the next morning to find Lilly sitting up in bed, holding her ribs tenderly. She sat up and edged closer to Lilly.

"What's wrong, Lil? Do your ribs hurt?"

Lilly winced and smiled weakly at Miley. "Y-yeah. Just a bit. The meds probably wore off after I fell asleep,"

Miley frowned at the thought that Lilly had been woken up in the middle of the night in pain.

"Hold on, let me get your pills," Miley fumbled clumsily out of bed and over to the nightstand where Lilly's prescription bottle sat. She twisted open the cap and poured two pills into her hand and handed them to Lilly. She then reached over and lifted the glass of water from the nightstand and gave it to Lilly as well. She watched as Lilly sighed and popped the pills into her mouth and chased it down with a gulp of water.

"Lil, you could have gotten up and got your pills at any time…" Miley frowned.

Lilly took another sip of water, trying to wash the pills down her throat. "I know… it's just, I don't really like taking them. They make me loopy,"

Miley sighed and scooted over to Lilly and kissed her cheek. "You're so stubborn,"

Lilly smiled, reaching her hand to take Miley's arm, and returned Miley's kiss, "Yeah, I know,"

"You want to wait for it to kick in or go get some breakfast?" Miley asked timidly, blushing happily from Lilly's kiss.

"Actually…" Lilly cleared her throat, "I'm kind of starving,"

Miley's eyes widened, her face taking on an expression of horror. "Oh no,"

"What?" Lilly asked, panicked by Miley's sudden change, "What is it?"

Miley's face was nearly white, "You're not supposed to take these pills on an empty stomach,"

Lilly laughed and cuddled close to Miley. "It's fine, Miles. I gotta stomach of steel, remember?"

Miley seemed apprehensive, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She sighed and stood up out of bed, immediately turning to help Lilly stand.

"Alright, well let's get some food in you,"

Lilly grinned, "Sounds good to me,"

After descending down the stairs and partaking in a breakfast of pancakes, courtesy of Miley, the girls sat down on the couch in the living room. Miley levitated close to Lilly, linking arms with her and resting her head in the crook of Lilly's neck. She closed her eyes and relaxed; a faint, satisfied smile on her face.

After a few minutes, Lilly stirred and cleared her throat.

"Hey, Miley?"

Miley opened her eyes and looked up at Lilly. "Yeah?"

Lilly looked uncomfortable, a hot sweat appearing on her forehead.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Miley immediately sat up and reached to help Lilly off the couch.

"Come on," She was trying not to sound panicked, "Let's get to the bathroom,"

She got Lilly up and helped her hurry to the bathroom just in time. Lilly's face was white and her breathing was unsteady. As soon as they entered the bathroom, Lilly knelt down over the toilet bowel. She dry heaved several times, and then finally vomited. After several drawn out contractions in which Lilly continued to vomit, she panted, warm tears dripping from her eyes into the toilet, and sat back, writhing in pain.

Miley, who had shut the door behind them and watched helplessly knelt down at Lilly's side.

"Lilly, are you okay?" Her concern was obvious from the tremor in her voice.

Lilly coughed and winced in pain. "That… really… hurt my ribs," She gasped, trying not to cause her ribs any more pain.

"Oh, god, Lil, I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Miley…" Lilly struggled to sit up. "We just know not to take meds on an empty stomach,"

Miley helped Lilly stand, still feeling guilty.

Lilly smiled reassuringly at Miley, trying to lighten her mood. "I'd give you a kiss but that would be totally gross for you,"

Miley blinked away the tears that were trying to come out and leaned over to kiss Lilly's cheek. "You can do it later,"

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Miley made sure Lilly took it slow for the next couple hours. They relaxed, and took turns taking showers, each girl wondering about the other when the other was in the shower. The count down for the Hannah concert was closing in.

"You sure you're feeling well enough to go?" Miley asked as she adjusted her blonde wig on her head.

Lilly shot her a scolding glance as she carefully put on a purple Lola jacket over her lime green t-shirt. (She tried not to show any signs of pain, but the tight clothing was proving to be hard on her ribs)

"Miles, I already told you. I'm not missing seeing you perform. How would Hannah ever be able to sing if Lola wasn't there to support her?"

Miley laughed at Lilly's comment, and then wondered to herself just how accurate that was. She decided not to read too deeply into it; she knew Lilly was being cute and wasn't completely serious, but still, it made Miley question if she would be able to perform without Lilly there.

There was a knock on the door. "You girls almost ready?" Robbie Ray hollered.

"Yeah, Daddy, we're ready," Miley called back to him. She turned to Lilly. "You ready?"

Lilly cringed from a sudden sharp pain that briefly made itself apparent. But brushed it off. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go," She smiled.

The girls exited the room and walked downstairs, outside, and into the car. Robbie Ray was already in the driver's seat of the idling car.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" He backed the car out of the driveway.

As they neared the concert stadium, they all noticed an unusual gathering of people.

"Daddy? What's going on?" Miley asked, gazing curiously out the window. "They look… angry…"

Robbie Ray frowned and took his food off the gas pedal to slow down around the crowd. "I dunno, Miles… It almost looks like a protest,"

"Look, they have signs and everything… What do they say?" Lilly squinted at one of the signs. Her eyes widened as she read what it said.

"What?!" Mile exclaimed, obviously reading the same sign Lilly had. "What is that supposed to mean?! 'Lose the Lola'?!"

Lilly was silent as Miley continued reading more signs out loud, the anger in her voice rising with each one. " 'Lola = Bad'?! 'Say no to Lola'?! 'Lola is a Low-slut'?! That one doesn't even make sense! What is going on here?!"

Robbie Ray was busy thanking his lucky stars that he drove them there in their car instead of riding in the limo. They coasted by the crowd, and to the back entrance of the stadium.

Miley stormed out of the car and straight to backstage to where the stage manager was, despite her father calling after her, telling her to wait.

"Frank! What the heck is all this about? Why are there people outside boycotting Lola?"

Frank, the stage manager, blinked and stared at her. "You mean you haven't heard? Haven't you seen it on TV?"

"Seen what?!"

Frank sighed and led Miley over to the backstage television in the greenroom. Robbie Ray and Lilly caught up with them as they entered. Frank clicked on the television. It was already on the Entertainment channel.

"Hannah Montana's close friend and sidekick was rumored to be addicted to cocaine and other substances earlier today. Zack Jefferson revealed how he reportedly caught Lola doing drugs in her hotel room on a rafting trip in Colorado he took Hannah and Lola on."

Everyone's mouth dropped open as the television screen changed to an earlier interview with Zack sitting smugly in a chair, faking a concerned voice. "I confronted Hannah about it, but she denied that Lola would ever do anything like that… You may know Hannah and I had been dating, but in the end, she was in denial about Lola, and defended her. She chose Lola over me. More than anything, I'm just concerned for Hannah. I hope Lola doesn't push her habits onto her,"

Miley clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. "That son of a bitch," She seethed. Lilly remained silent and withdrawn.

The television clip ended and the reporter came back on. "Zack's longtime friend Brad was there to witness this account as well. When asked about the event, he—"

Robbie Ray had obtained the remote and turned the TV off. Miley was still seething in her anger, tears stinging her eyes.

"He has gone too far!"

"Personally, I don't believe it. The guy's full of baloney. I've worked with you girls long enough to know that's a load of bull," Frank frowned, picking up his clipboard from the table. "He's tryin' to get his 15 minutes of fame any way he can. Unfortunately, common folk eat this stuff up. It won't last forever. You can prove it wrong and the world'll go on. Just a major pain in the ass, that kid caused, if you ask me,"

Lilly reached over and took Miley's hand, in attempt to calm her down. Miley glanced over at Lilly and saw Lilly's timid, sad face. Her anger melted, and she suddenly just wanted to cry.

"It'll be okay," Lilly whispered, "It doesn't matter what everyone thinks…" Secretly, Lilly was crushed, but more than anything, she was relieved that Hannah's career hadn't been attacked. She might've had to break Zack's face if her had gone after Hannah. Lilly was content with taking the fall if it saved Miley.

Miley frowned, still struggling with the whole situation. "I… guess…"

"Come on," Lilly smiled warmly at Miley and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You got a show to do; and I know better than anyone else that you shine your brightest when you're singing,"

Miley smiled at Lilly's comforting words, but she was beginning to think Lilly was wrong. Miley thought she was beginning to shine brightest when Lilly was at her side.

Despite all the Lola protesters in the crowd, Miley went on stage when the concert began and did her best to smile and ignore all the signs, and sing her heart out; for Lilly. Each sign made her heart ache. She could never "Lose Lola". Not now. Not again.

Lilly watched proudly from backstage as Miley performed, brushing aside the discomfort in her ribs. Miley took her mind off of it better than any pill could. She watched the whole time, never taking her eyes off of Lilly. Her adoration for Miley was obvious to anyone backstage; even Robbie Ray.

Soon, the concert was over, and Miley bid the crowd goodnight, avoiding all the reporters hounding her for comments on Zack's claim about Lola. Somehow, they made their way back to the car.

"Phew," Miley slumped into the back seat beside Lilly.

"You were wonderful," Lilly chimed cheerfully, "As always,"

Miley smiled at Lilly, edging closer, but staying a safe distance away with her father in the car. Robbie Ray started the car and pulled out of the concert stadium's parking lot, cautiously passing by the hoards of people.

As they entered onto the freeway and drove through the darkness of the city's night, Miley became bold and pressed up against Lilly, closing her eyes and resting against Lilly's arm. She felt safe in the darkness of the car with Lilly. It felt like their own blanket of security.

Lilly smiled down at Miley and began to stroke her forearm gently. She knew how exhausted Miley was, and was happy that Miley was comfortable enough to relax and close her eyes. She glanced up towards the front seat at Robbie Ray. He was driving, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Lilly slowly leaned down and softly pressed her lips against the top of Miley's head. Satisfied, she laid back and shut her eyes as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zack flipped his cell phone shut and turned to Brad, who was driving.

"You're all set up for an interview tomorrow morning. You got the story straight?"

Brad nodded, smirking mischievously to himself. "Yup. I got it down,"

"Good," Brad grinned and sat back in his seat. "Time to get this party started,"


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

**A/N: it's been what, like, two years? Howdy, y'all. **

"Today we're joined by long time friend of Zack Jefferson, Brad Felton, who has come foreward with more shocking news about pop sensation Hannah Montana's best friend Lola, who has been rumored to have a drug addiction. Thank you for joining us Brad,"

"The pleasure is all mine," Brad smiled and took the newscasters hand and kissed it gently.

After blushing and flashing a giddy smile of her own, she continued, "Now, Brad, Zack Jefferson has claimed that he caught Lola in her room doing cocaine, along with other assortments of drugs,"

Brad sighed and shook his head, "I'm afraid it's all true, I saw it as well. What also concerned me was how she was coaxing Hannah to join her. I can't even imagine the strain that puts on Ms. Montana,"

"And how would you say that Hannah reacted? Did she have a previous knowledge of Lola's drug use?"

"I'm sorry to say, yes. Hannah was obviously upset, and even came to our bedroom to get away from Lola. I don't think she has it in her heart to drop the loser. At one point, Lola cornered me in the elevator and forced herself on me,"

"And at what point did you and Brad Jefferson find it neccesary to go public with this news?"

Brad hesitated, furrowing his brow, and sighed, "To be honest, we just want to help Hannah. Her relationship with Lola is toxic and we wanted the public to support Hannah through these rough times,"

The newscaster smiled, "Well that's wonderful, thank you for joining us, Brad. We hope to hear more as this story decelops," She turned from Brad and addressed the camera, "Hannah Montana's rep has yet to release a statement on these issues, but we will keep you up to date as the story unfolds,"

Miley threw the remote at the television in anger and digust, "I can't believe this! How could anyone believe that load of bull?"

Lilly smiled, and rested her hand on Miley's arm. "Relax, Miles. I actually think it's kinda funny,"

Miley shot Lilly a heated glance, "It's not funny at all, Lilly..."

Lilly sighed, "I know, I know, but you can't let it get to you. Besides you have another concert tonight..."

"I don't even want to do it. Not when every single one of my fans is hating on Lola,"

Lilly rested her head against Miley's shoulder. "It'll be fine Miles, I'll stay backstage, I wont talk to anyone, and when it's all over, I'll take you to dinner, my treat,"

"Yeah but," Miley stopped and looked over at Lilly, "Wait, really?"

"Totally," Lilly grinned.

Miley sighed and pondered it over in her head. "Alright... Just be careful, okay? I don't want anything happening to you, and you're still not all healed and stuff, "

"It'll be fine Miles," Lilly turned her head and gently kissed Miley's shoulder. "I promise,"

Hannah glaced out from behind the curtain. There they were. A bunch of Lola hatin', Hannah lovin' fans. She could see the anti-Lola banners spread out across the crowd.

"Great, I gotta sing looking at those all night,"

Lilly came up behind her and gave her a tight hug. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just keep thinking about that dinner, okay?"

Miley smiled and nearly melted into Lilly's hug. She sighed. "You're right," The lights dimmed and Hannah's band started to play. "Alright, here we go,"

"I'll be waiting!" Lilly called after her as she ran out on stage. Miley turned to her and smiled, and then the show began.

_ One more song until intermission..._ Miley thought. She couldn't wait to see Lilly.

Meanwhile, Lilly had slipped into the dressing room to grab Miley some water. She grabbed the bottle on the dresser and then stopped. Sighing, she knew she needed to take a pain pill. Her ribs were killing her. She fished into her purse and pulled out the bottle.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Lilly looked up in surprise to find a hoard of angry fans booming outside the door. Her eyes widened in horror. "Uh... Hi,"

"Well looky here," Zack stepped through the crowd and into the dressing room. "Caught you in the act," He smirked and pointed to the bottle of medication Lilly had in her hands.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "These are prescribed, ass munch,"

Zack stepped towards her and grabbed the bottle from her, "Oh, I'm sure they are. Now listen, I'm sure you don't want to be ripped apart by a crowd. Hannah wouldn't like that either. Why don't you let me handle this hole mix up,"

"And I should trust you, why?"

Zack laughed, "I don't think you have much of a choice. Unless you want rumors about Ms. Montana to be spread as well,"

Lilly glared, "Do that and you'll regret it,"

Zack glanced back at the angry crowd waiting at the door. He kicked it shut with his foot. "Come on now, Lola. We both just want what's best for Hannah. So, I think you and I should have a little talk in private,"

He took another step towards her and jabbed her in the ribs, causing her to double over in pain. When she was on the ground, he picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder and walking towards the back exit. Brad was waiting in his car. Zack stuffed Lilly in the backseat and ran over to the passenger side and got in. Soon after the car drove away.

Several minutes later Hannah was walking to her dressing room, when she saw the anti-Lola crowd gathered around the door. Her cheeks burned with anger.

"Alright, everybody! Outta the way! Leave her alone!" She yelled as loud as she could. They all turned and looked at her in surprise, and Miley took this chance to slip through the crowd and into the room, shutting the door behind her.

She looked around, confused that the room seemed empty. "Lilly?" She called. Her eyes rested on the bottle of medication on the floor and then, her eyes widened in horror. She ran to her purse and dug out her cell phone, fighting back tears. She called Lilly's phone. It was off. She wracked her brain of what to do.

The door opened. "Dag nabbit, outta the way, people!" Robby Ray shouted as he shut the door behind him. "You okay, Miles?"

Miley stared at him in shock as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Daddy, she's gone,"

Robby Ray blinked, as it slowly hit him.

Suddenly the Hannah phone rang. She answered it right away.

"Hello? Lilly? Is that you?" She asked frantically.

"Look, Hannah, i think it'd and be in everyone's best interest if you had dinner with me tonight,"

"Zack?" Miley screamed, "What did you do! Where's Lola?"

"Be patient... and meet me at the French restaurant 3 blocks from here. If you cause any trouble, it'll be felt by your little miss Lola here. I just want to talk. Alone."

Miley clentched her teeth as tears slid down. "If you hurt her..."

"Play by my rules and eveyone will be happy,"

Miley was burning with anger. "Fine. I'm on my way,"

She hung up, and turned to Robby Ray.

"Miley, what's going on?"

"I have to go," Miley grabbed her purse. "Don't follow me. I have my phone. I have to get Lilly back,"

Robby Ray stood helplessly as he watched his daughter walk towards the back exit and leave the building.


	9. Chapter 9

Lilly's eyes fluttered open, and as her vision focused, she realized she was in the backseat of a car. After trying to move she realized her hands and feet were tied up. It was too dark to see anything substantial.

Moaning, she lifted her head, "Where-?"

"Well good morning, lovely Lola!" Brad exclaimed from the drivers seat.

Lilly grunted in pain, feeling where Zack had hit her, and then remembered everything that had happened. "What do you think.. you're doing...? Are you... insane?"

Brad laughed and shook his head, "No, no. Not at all. Ya see, my boy Zack's in that restaurant as we speak, winning Hannah's heart,"

"So you are insane," Lilly said, starting to struggle and kicking at the door, "Let me go,"

Brad unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned towards the backseat, firmly grasping Lilly by the legs. "Chill out, Lola-pop. It'll be over soon. Hannah will see things our way,"

Lilly glared at him and then swing her legs, catching a good blow right in Brad's jaw.

Brad shrank back and held his mouth in pain and then turned to Lilly and sank his fist into her cheekbone. "Bitch," He spat.

Meanwhile Miley arrived in the restaurant, and frantically skimmed each table looking for Zack.

"Ms. Montana," A waiter approached her, "This way please,"

The waiter led her to a private room, where she immediately saw Zack. Her blood started to boil. She sat down and patiently waited as the waiter laid down the menu's and left the room.

"Zack, you have until the count of 10 to tell me where Lola is,"

Zack smiled and opened his menu. "Relax, Hannah. First let's have a talk,"

"No. If you don't tell me where Lola is now, I'm-"

"And if you don't relax, Lola's going to feel it in the morning," He raised his eyebrows from behind the menu, "Now please, take a look at the menu,"

Miley sighed, and opened her menu. She was so infurriated that she couldn't even read. "Okay... Zack... What do you want so that you'll give me Lola back?"

"I think I'll have the prime rib," Zack nodded and set his menu down.

"Zack!" Miley was losing her patience.

Zack looked up at her and sighed, "Very well. My conditions for a safe return are simply for you to date me,"

Miley clentched her teeth and set her menu down as well. "Okay... How long must I date you until I get Lola back,"

"Long enough to further my career by exposing you for what you really are,"

Miley rolled her eyes, "And what exactly am I?"

Zack smiled, "I think you know," He lifted his glass of water and took a sip. "You're a carpet muncher for that gal Lola. Now, just think of the scandal! Angered parents across the globe. Heart broken fans. The works,"

"Why are you doing this?" Miley demanded.

Zack just smiled, "Fame can last more than 15 minutes. You just have to play your cards right,"

In the car, Lilly was desperately trying to find a way to escape. Luckily for her, Brad had his eyes closed and was taking a little cat nap. She glanced at the car door. It could wasily be unlocked from the inside she just had to be quiet about it.

Carefully she spun herself around so that her hands were facing the lock. She fumbled for it in the dark until she felt where it was. Slowly and quietly she lifted it up. Success!

Lilly glanced at Brad. Still asleep. She gently felt for the car door handle and gave it a tug. The door opened and she felt the chill of the night air. She spun herself back around and exited the car the best she could without making noise. She looked back at Brad. What a heavy sleeper. But now what could she do? First thing first, get out of his sight in case he wakes up.

Lilly hopped from the car to the side of the building and into the alleyway. Once she was there she managed to get her hands from behind her back into the right position Once this was done she untied her feet.

As she started working on her wrists, she heard a noise.

Brad stepped into the alleyway chuckling, "What you thought I was really asleep?"

Lilly's eyes widened in horror, and as he approached her, she flung her legs forward and kicked him in the gut, causing him to double over. Lilly took her chance and ran.

Inside the restaurant, the food had been delivered. Miley was too upset to have even the slightest appetite.

"Please," Zack said as he cut into his meat, "Enjoy,"

Suddenly Brad ran in. Both Miley and Zack looked up in shock.

"Brad! What are you-?"

"She got away!"

"What?"

Before either of the boys could act, Miley lept from her seat and ran out the door.

Zack stood up and grabbed Brad by the hair, "Find her. Now!"

Miley burst through the doors and outside into the night. "Lilly?" She cried, as she began to run down the street, "Lilly!"

A block. Two blocks.

"Lilly, where are you! Answer me!"

As she was passing through a park, she heard something from the bushes and stopped.

"Miley?" A weak voice called out to her, and soon after Lilly stepped out, her hands still tied together.

Tears welled up in Miley's eyes and she could barely move. Lilly fell to her knees, coughing and Miley ran to her, throwing her arms around her. "Oh Lilly! Oh god, Lilly!" She sobbed.

Lilly began to cry too, as she trembled in Miley's arms.

"H-hold on, I'll call my daddy," Miley dug out her cell phone and dialed his number.

He answered immediately. "Dag nabbit, Miley where in sam hill are ya?"

"Daddy, I found Lilly, we're at the park nearby," She said through her tears, "Please get down here! And call the police!"

"Okay, Miles, I'm on my way,"

Miley hung up and wrapped her arms back around Lilly. "Lilly, are you hurt anywhere? Did they hurt you?"

"I-I'm fine, Miles," Lilly sputtered. "It just hurts,"

"We'll get you back home, okay? Everything's going to be alright," Silent tears fell down Miley's face.

"Guess again," Brad emerged from the darkness, "Now, Hannah, give me the girl and no one gets hurt,"

"Shut up!" Miley seethed, "Go away! You've done enough harm!"

Brad shook his head and brought the baseball bat out from behind his back. "Look, I really don't wanna do this,"

"Yeah right," Miley scoffed,"You two have been nothing but trouble!"

"Suit yourself," Brad said shrugging.

Zack appeared behind Miley and grabbed Lilly by the wrist, yanking her away.

"S-stop!" Miley cried, scrambling to get up. "Leave her alone!"

Zack sighed, "Listen, Hannah, enough is enough. Just agree to my proposal and everything will be fine, just like you said,"

Lilly tried to hit Zack with her elbow but he dodged and dropped her, only to pick her up by her hair and bring her close to his face.

Lilly looked to Miley, tears in her eyes, "Don't, don't listen to him,"

Miley didn't know what to do. She collapsed to her knees and started to sob. "Please, let her go,"

"Do we have an agreement then?" Zack asked, tightening his grip on Lilly's hair.

Miley was silent. She looked up at Lilly, and then to Zack, then back to Lilly. To her surprise, Lilly was smiling sweetly.

"Don't worry," She spoke softly, "I love you,"

Miley couldn't take anymore. She stood up and walked over to Zack. She looked him in the eyes. "It's over, Zack. No more,"

Zack looked at her confused.

"Freeze!" A strong voice behind him said. "Let the girl go and put your hands in the air!"

Zack turned his head to see an entire police squard behind him, their guns pointed right at him. "Shit," He glared at Lilly.

"Here's your 15 minutes of fame," Miley scoffed.

Brad had already been handcuffed and was being led to the police car. Zack panicked and looked Lilly in the eyes one last time before throwing her by the hair as hard as he could to the ground.

"Lilly!" Miley screamed, and that was the last thing Lilly heard.

When Lilly awoke, she was laying in Miley's bed at the house. "Wha...? Ow...!" Her head was pounding. It took several moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark and realize Miley was asleep at her side. She smiled, and then leaned down to kiss Miley gently on the head.

Miley's eyes opened, and first there were tears, then a smile. She drapped her arms around Lilly and snuggled closer. "I love you too,"


End file.
